Miami Grand Prix - track guide, start time, weather, how to watch, prediction

After an unscheduled four-week break, the Formula 1 2026 play resumes successful Miami this weekend. 

Mercedes volition beryllium looking to proceed their aboriginal dominance aft winning their archetypal 3 races earlier the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grand Prixs owed to the struggle successful the Middle East.

Race Preview

Mercedes eyeing 4th consecutive Grand Prix win

The archetypal 3 contention weekends proved that Mercedes had the precocious manus successful the aboriginal stages of the caller acceptable of regulations.

George Russell won the archetypal contention successful Australia and the sprint successful China, earlier his young teammate, Kimi Antonelli, took the spotlight with Grand Prix wins in Shanghai and Suzuka.

Those victories person propelled the 19-year-old to the apical of the satellite title standings, giving him a nine-point pb implicit his teammate up of the 4th Grand Prix of the season.

Regulation tweaks

Mercedes whitethorn person controlled the archetypal 3 rounds of action, but arguably, the headlines person been dominated by the backlash to the caller acceptable of regulations. 

The vigor absorption required by the caller powerfulness units had drawn disapproval from the drivers, astir notably, four-time champions Max Verstappen, who has formed uncertainty implicit his future successful the athletics owed to his dissatisfaction with the regulations.

The spread betwixt the Japanese and Miami Grand Prixs, caused by the cancellation of the races successful Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, has allowed F1 to marque immoderate tweaks to the regulations successful a bid to code immoderate of the concerns raised.

The anticipation is that the changes volition springiness the drivers a greater accidental to propulsion to the bounds successful qualifying and code the information interest of ample velocity differentials successful races, arsenic was seen with Oliver Bearman's clang with Franco Colapinti successful Japan. 

Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull look to adjacent the spread to Mercedes

Away from the regularisation tweaks, Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull are among the teams that person brought important upgrade packages to Miami.

The sprint play whitethorn hamper their chances of maximising their caller packages, but they volition beryllium hoping the developments volition alteration them to adjacent the spread to Mercedes, who are expected to bring their archetypal raft of meaningful upgrades to Montreal successful a mates of weeks. 

Ferrari's operator pairing of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton beryllium successful 3rd and 4th place, respectively, successful the standings, and they volition some person aspirations of claiming the team's archetypal triumph of the play this weekend.

McLaren's Oscar Piastri volition beryllium aiming to physique upon his awesome second-place decorativeness successful Japan, portion Norris volition privation to officially motorboat his play successful Miami aft finishing successful 5th successful Melbourne and Suzuka, either broadside of a treble McLaren DNS successful Shanghai. 

Red Bull's Verstappen is besides looking to instil immoderate impetus into his season, having failed to decorativeness immoderate higher than sixth successful the archetypal 3 races of 2026. 

Track Guide - Miami International Autodrome

First authoritative Grand Prix: 1987

Circuit Length: 5.412km

Number of laps: 57km

Lap record: Max Verstappen 1:29.965 (2023)

Most contention wins: Max Verstappen (2)

The 2026 variation volition beryllium the sixth variation of the Miami Grand Prix, which sees drivers contention connected a purpose-built impermanent circuit wrong the backstage grounds of Hard Rock Stadium.

The thoroughfare way features 19 corners and 3 agelong straights, which volition connection the drivers plentifulness of opportunities to activate 'Straight Mode'.

Meanwhile, the detection constituent for 'Overtake Mode' - which tin beryllium activated erstwhile a car is wrong a 2nd of the operator successful beforehand - is situated betwixt turns 17 and 18 adjacent the extremity of the lap. 

Verstappen won the archetypal 2 races astatine the venue earlier Norris ended the Dutchman's dominance successful Miami with a triumphant show successful 2024.

McLaren besides enjoyed occurrence successful past year's race, claiming a one-two arsenic Piastri finished implicit 4 and a fractional seconds up of his teammate.

Miami GP docket and results

What clip does the Miami sprint start?

The sprint volition get underway astatine midday section clip connected Saturday, making it a 5pm commencement for viewers successful the UK. 

What clip does Miami GP qualifying start?

Qualifying volition commencement 4 hours aboriginal astatine 4pm section clip and 9pm BST. 

What clip does the Miami GP start?

Sunday's contention volition get underway astatine 4pm section time, which volition beryllium a 9pm commencement for F1 fans watching from the UK. 

Miami sprint qualifying results:

1. Land Norris

2. Kimi Antonelli

3. Oscar Piastri

4. Charles Leclerc

5. Max Verstappen

6. George Russell

7. Lewis Hamilton

8. Franco Colapinto

9. Isack Hadjar

10. Pierre Gasly

11. Gabriel Bortoleto

12. Nico Hulkenberg

13. Ollie Bearman

14. Alex Albon

15. Carlos Sainz

16. Arvin Lindblad

17. Liam Lawson

18. Esteban Ocon

19. Sergio Perez

20. Valtteri Bottas

21. Fernandes Alonso

22. Lance Stroll

Miami Grand Prix upwind forecast

Saturday

As per the F1 website, the upwind connected Saturday volition beryllium wide and sunny. The aerial somesthesia volition scope a precocious of 34°C, portion the way somesthesia is expected to hit 52.1°C. There is nary rainfall presently forecasted for Saturday's enactment connected track. 

Sunday

Sunday's somesthesia volition highest astatine 28°C and 39.8°C connected track. Current forecasts suggest determination volition beryllium rainfall and storms, which could impact the moving of the race. 

How to ticker the Japanese GP successful the UK

TV

Sky customers tin drawback Sunday's contention connected the Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports F1 channels.

Streaming

You tin besides travel the contention connected Sky Go and the Sky Sports App. As for non-Sky customers, you tin acquisition a NOW TV walk to tune into the Grand Prix. 

Highlights

Sky Sports volition upload contention higlights connected their dedicated app and connected the Sky Sports F1 YouTube channel.

Channel 4 volition amusement sprint and qualifying highlights from 8:30am connected Sunday, and contention highlights from 1:35am connected Monday morning.

We say: Norris to win

Norris has recovered it pugnacious going successful the aboriginal stages of the season, but helium showed signs of committedness with rod successful Friday's sprint qualifying, and with McLaren looking a stronger unit this weekend, we deliberation the reigning satellite champion could beryllium the archetypal non-Mercedes operator to triumph a Grand Prix successful 2026.